This application claims the priority of German Patent Document No. 101 32 361.1, filed Jul. 4, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The passenger door of an aircraft is connected to a supporting arm by one or more wishbones. The supporting arm has at least two journals, and the wishbones are fastened to the journals. The supporting arm is also movably connected with the fuselage frame. A lifting device for raising and lowering the door includes at least one lifting shaft having roller levers at its ends. In the closed position of the door, each of the roller levers is braced in a fuselage frame mounting.
The process for opening the passenger door includes the following steps. A locking mechanism is unlocked when the door is still in the closed position. The lifting device, connected to a drive device, is then unlocked, and the door is raised using the lifting device to end the closed position of the door. The door is in the raised state even before the door is opened. Subsequently a swiveling mechanism swivels the door along a lifting track into an end position of the opening process at the end of the lifting track. The swiveling of the door takes place with the door in the raised state. During the swiveling motion and at the end position, the weight of the entire door must be supported. This holding of the door leads to an increased stress on the connecting device between the door and the supporting arm. The connecting device includes at least two wishbones spaced vertically from each other. The swiveling motion and/or wind load cause additional stresses in the connecting device. In addition, vibrations may cause the lifting mechanism to lower the door, and a lowered, opened door will delay the subsequent closing of the door.
An object of the invention is to secure a door in the raised state during the swiveling motion and at the end position of the opening.
The objective is accomplished according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a passenger door of an aircraft which has a device for opening the door. The device includes a supporting arm connected movably to the fuselage frame, a wishbone connecting the support arm to the passenger door, a first journal rotatably connecting the wishbone to the support arm, and a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting shaft for raising and lowering the door, a lowering safety shaft, a controllable drive engaged with the lowering safety shaft to rotate lowering safety shaft, and a lowering safety link. The lifting shaft includes two ends and a roller lever disposed at each end, wherein when the passage door is in the closed position, each roller lever engages a fuselage frame mounting. The lowering safety shaft includes an end and a roller lever disposed at the end. The lowering safety shaft is engaged with the lifting shaft. The lowering safety link includes a second journal having an elongated configuration. The second journal has a link track, and the roller of the lowering safety shaft is guided on the link track of the second journal.
The passenger door of an aircraft is connected with a supporting arm by one or more wishbones. The supporting arm has at least two journals. A wishbone is attached to each journal. A lowering safety link, preferably lying in the axis of rotation of the upper and lower wishbones, is displaceable on an extended, elongated journal of the upper wishbone. The lifting device for raising and lowering the door comprises at least one lifting shaft having roller levers at its ends. In the closed position of the door, each of the roller levers is braced in a fuselage frame mounting. The lifting shaft is engaged with the lowering safety link by a speed-transforming gear. The lowering safety link includes a roller lever on its end, and the roller is in engagement with the lowering safety link that is arranged on the journal. The roller of the roller lever of the lowering safety shaft is guidable in the link track of the lowering safety link. The roller of the roller lever has a peripheral groove which engages a rail arranged preferably centrally in the link track.
The invention prevents vibrations from causing a lowering of the lifting shaft when the door is swiveled open and is at the end position of the opening process.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.